The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for automatically cleaning the nozzles of spray guns or fluid delivery guns of the type used for spraying paint and similar materials.
Paint spray guns typically build up deposits of paint on their nozzles over a period of time, and must periodically be cleaned with suitable solvents or cleaning materials to prevent clogging. The vapors produced by such cleaning materials are hazardous, and exposure of workers to such vapors must be limited. In industries such as automobile production, an automatic painting apparatus is employed to apply a coating of paint to articles such as automobiles from a plurality of spray guns. Manual cleaning of such spray guns by workers at periodic intervals is both hazardous and expensive. Additionally, there is a problem with the safe disposal of used cleaning materials which pose an environmental hazard.
One known method and apparatus for cleaning paint spray guns of the type used in painting automobiles is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,882 of Ichinose, et al. In this apparatus, the paint spray head or nozzle is inserted into a cleaning chamber opening, and is sprayed with solvent from several cleaner heads. Used solvent is discharged through an outlet at the bottom of the cleaning chamber.